


Mess is Mine

by onebigroughdraft



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: F/F, Family Feels, Team as Family, billy is pure and great, jason just wants everyone to be happy, zack and trini brotp, zack is so gd supportive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-19 23:26:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10650261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onebigroughdraft/pseuds/onebigroughdraft
Summary: “Nothing,” Kim replied as she resumed her walk down the hallway.Kim looked over her shoulder, keeping Trini rooted in her spot with that smirk as Zack looked between the two girls with his eyebrows raised.“You just look really good in pink.”orTrini, Kimberly, and what comes next.





	1. Chapter 1

“ _Mierda_.”

Trini sighs, hopelessly scrubbing at the array of colors currently spread across her shirt.

“Here ya go, crazy girl.”

She cursed again, taking the paper towels Zack offered. Wiping at her shirt, she held her other hand up, pointing at the smirking boy.

“Not a word,” she growled, throwing the paper towel covered in paint into the trashcan. 

Zack grinned, shrugging as he leaned against the locker next to hers.

“I didn’t even say anything,” he said, chuckling.

“And you don’t have to because it doesn’t have to be said _out loud_ ,” Trini replied tersely.

She threw her arms up hopelessly in the air, looking down at her once yellow and grey shirt that was now full of different colors.

“I’d just like to point out that you’re a literal superhero and you got so flustered that you walked into a whole cart of paint—”

Trini looked up, glaring at her friend. He just laughed in response, raising his arms in surrender.

“Wipe that stupid smirk off your face.”

He just shrugged, opening his mouth to say more when a familiar hand landed on Trini’s shoulder. 

She turned her head, being met with Kimberly’s smiling face.

The gentleness of the other girl’s hand on her shoulder was a stark contrast to the damage Trini knew those hands could inflict.

(She’d seen it first hand, after all, a mere three weeks ago, when she had fallen off a cliff because some dude blew up some rocks and she found a weird glowing coin with four other kids and then all of a sudden she’s _strong_ and can jump crazy distances and a robot and a talking wall is telling her she’s a Power Ranger and the town had been overrun by _rock monsters_ that were inexplicably called _putties_ and some lady who was supposed to be dead over 65 billion years ago came back to life and tried to _kill them all_ and she’s got friends now who are the literal definition of ride or die which makes them more like _family_ which is something she is continuously getting used to and this is just her _life_ now.)

“Here you go, T,” Kimberly said, soft smile still on her face as she handed the shorter girl the article of clothing she was holding in her hand. “It’s clean, I swear. I put it in my locker yesterday morning in case I got cold and left it there.”

Trini just let out another sigh, giving the other girl a small smile in return. 

“Thanks,” Trini answered shortly. “I’m just gonna…go change.”

She turned abruptly and pushed open the bathroom door, entering the closest stall and locking the door. She leaned against it, sighing again as she looked down at her ruined shirt before pulling it off.

Trini knew realistically that it wasn’t Kim’s fault she walked into a cart full of paint—there was paint and metal scaffolding and other construction materials all around the school, where repairs were being done all through campus.

(The school had been damaged during the fight with Rita and her evil _rocks_ , but apparently not enough where the district could justify keeping the school closed down for more than a few weeks, so now here they all were, going back to school and trying to go about their day normally as if they hadn’t all almost died three weeks ago.)

But it sort of _was_ Kim’s fault, Trini decided. Because Kim and Trini and Zack had just been walking down the hallway towards the cafeteria, Trini and Zack arguing about which Fast and Furious movie was the best one (and Trini was just about to punch Zack in the face for his vehement refusal to acknowledge that Fast Five was clearly the greatest of all time) when she had turned to ask Kim to chime in.

And Trini turned her head the exact time Kim had decided to take a sip of her water (see: a sip of water from _Trini’s_ water bottle, because Kim had somehow managed to grab it from Trini’s backpack without the other girl noticing), tilting her head back just a bit as she drank from the bottle.

The sight made Trini falter in her steps.

Not that she hadn’t seen Kim drinking water before but— _mierda_ , the girl was hot.

This is not the first time Trini had thought this—hey, she had eyes, and it wasn’t like it was hard to see that the other girl was freaking _beautiful_.

Kim’s short, dark brown hair was disheveled in a way that looked like she simply ran her fingers through her hair and it fell in perfect waves (and Trini knew that was exactly what the other girl did to get ready in the morning—ran her fingers through her hair as she sat in the driver’s seat of her car, bopping her head along to the song on the radio as she drove the two of them to school). Her black leather jacket fit on her shoulder’s as if it was custom made for her (and ok, Trini realizes she’s exaggerating but _dios mío_ she has a crush on the other girl so give her a break, _por favor_ ) and the simple white shirt and dark skinny jeans Kim had on was possibly one of Trini’s favorite looks on the other girl.

(That was a lie—Kim didn’t have any looks that Trini didn’t love, as Zack gleefully loved to point out to the shorter girl.)

So distracted was Trini from watching Kim drink from her water bottle, eyes closed and head slightly tilted back, that not even her freaky weird Ranger senses (Billy had coined the phrase after Spidey senses because the boy really loved the web slinging superhero and none of them ever had the heart to tell Billy no) had saved her from the inevitable crash and fall that came from running into a whole cart full of paint cans.

Thus leading Trini to her current situation.

Leaving the bathroom wearing a _pink_ and black flannel shirt, courtesy of one Kimberly Hart.

She gave Zack her harshest glare in hopes that the boy would keep his comments to himself.

Zack simply smirked.

It was times like these when she realized just how _different_ her life became ever since that night on the mountain and that glowing yellow coin.

Before the Power Rangers.

Before Kim and Zack and Jason and Billy.

Before, when she used to walk down the hallways alone, her head down and headphones on, drowning out the trivial noises of her fellow classmates.

Back when she was invisible, and people wouldn’t stop and stare when she walked to the cafeteria with Jason Scott, the corners of her mouth upturned in a small smile as he tried to make her laugh.

Or when Billy always managed to make her _actually_ smile, never failing to give her exactly half of one of the chocolate chip cookies he always seemed to have in his lunch bag.

Or when Zack—who had somehow wormed his way into her heart between late night talks on top of a freaking _mountain_ and merciless teasing—just inherently _got_ her, actually knowing when he should push her to talk and when he should fill the silence with nonsense until she was actually ready to speak about what was on her mind.

Or when Kimberly—and Trini was at least self-aware enough to admit she was slightly whipped—would text her in the middle of the night asking if she wanted to come over for rerun’s of Bob’s Burgers because the other girl was having trouble sleeping. 

(This last activity led to a lot of impromptu sleepovers in Kimberly’s queen sized bed, and despite the amount of space they each had, found Trini waking up with Kimberly having clung to her with her head on Trini’s chest and her arms wrapped around Trini’s body and their legs intertwined because _of course_ Kimberly Hart was a cuddler.)

Trini wouldn’t say she missed the complete solitude, per say, but sometimes she felt the need to be alone with her thoughts so she could sort out what the _fuck_ was going on and how she went from zero people to four new ones always completely there for her in the span of a month and a half.

Also, the superhero thing.

(Actually, the superhero thing she’s pretty sure she could deal with. It was the other thing—or, it was tied into it anyways, that she was having trouble with.)

The other thing was the massive rush of feelings she’s developed for the friendly neighborhood Pink Ranger.

It started with small, subtle things—like outings to the local Krispy Kreme (before Rita went and _destroyed_ the only halfway decent thing about the town, and they have yet to finish rebuilding), and started growing with things like movie nights or dinner plans or study dates.

And the way Kimberly Hart was utterly and completely _captivating_.

Trini had seen multiple facets of the other girl in the short time she’d known her, and each one was as amazing as the last.

Kimberly was tough on the outside—Trini thought it was perhaps a different kind of protective armor Kim had developed outside of the literal armor the girl sometimes sported (see: the whole freaking _superhero_ thing), the kind that Trini knew developed from Kim’s old friends talking about Kim loudly in the hallway, and calling her names under their breaths, and her fall from the top of the social ladder to the bottom.

(Well, not completely the bottom, Trini knew, because despite what Kim thought everyone else at school still completely _worshipped_ the beautiful, charming, smart and—did she mention beautiful angel—that was Kimberly Hart.)

Kim wasn’t just tough on the outside though—the girl was just all around _badass_.

(Trini had sparred with her enough times to know that—also, she had seen the way Kimberly had taken down those putties, and _dios mío_ the girl could fight.)

But despite the front she put up at school, Trini had seen the soft side of Kim as well—the one who always made sure everyone on the team went to the medbay after training, or calmed Trini down when she had woken up from that nightmare, or fought with her over the last bite of banana bread but ultimately letting Trini have it.

It had only taken Trini about a week after getting to know Kimberly—the _real_ Kimberly, not the front she used to put up at school—to start crushing on the other girl, and another two for it to evolve from innocent crush to full-blown feelings.

And now she’s here, squirming slightly under Kimberly’s suddenly intense gaze.

“What?” Trini asked, a little self-consciously as she threw her ruined shirt into her bag, hoping she could somewhat salvage it when she got home.

(It seriously was one of her favorite shirts—her mom had actually gotten it for her, in an attempt to relate to her daughter and close the distance that seemed to continue to grow as more time went on.)

Kim tilted her head to the side, humming slightly before she smiled—not the soft smile she gives Trini when she manages to learn a new bit of personal information about the girl, or the full-blown, ear to ear grin she has when Trini makes a joke—but a wicked smile, one that Trini would almost classify as a smirk.

“Nothing,” Kim replied as she resumed her walk down the hallway. 

Kim looked over her shoulder, keeping Trini rooted in her spot with that smirk as Zack looked between the two girls with his eyebrows raised.

“You just look really good in pink.”

Trini faltered in her movement, accidentally closing her locker too hard. She turned to see that her hand had left a slight indent of her palm in the middle of the locker, the metal frame bent so it was slightly askew. 

“Don’t even,” Trini growled, holding her hand up to Zack, leaving him laughing behind her as she scrambled to catch up with Kim.

 _Mierda_ , Kimberly Hart was going to be the death of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've completely jumped onto this ship. Trini jumping off a cliff to another cliff to avoid talking and then breaking as soon as a pretty girl asked her for some water is literally my entire aesthetic.


	2. Chapter 2

Sometimes, Kimberly feels like an ass.

Sometimes she felt like the bitch her friends (see: _ex_ -friends, because she certainly burnt that bridge, and how had she not seen that what she was doing was _mean_ and callous until the consequences of her actions managed to rear it’s head) said she was, through glares thrown in the cafeteria and muttered name calling as she walked through the hallways.

Sometimes she remembers what she did and feels like she doesn’t deserve the coin.

(Doesn’t deserve _them_ —her fellow Rangers, because Billy is so _good_ and smart and pure, and Jason is genuinely nice and he wants to actually _help_ people and Zack, for all his crazy ideas and brash personality really, truly _cares_ so much about his mom and the team, and Trini—underneath all the sarcasm and cynicism is a girl who is _soft_ and sweet and empathetic and all around one of the best people Kimberly has ever met.)

Sometimes Kimberly feels unworthy.

And it’s been three weeks since they won the fight with Rita and her crazy putties and even crazier Goldar—a monster made out of pure _gold_ which what the _hell_ apparently this was her life now—and Kimberly sometimes still feels like maybe the coin made a mistake, choosing her.

Especially in moments like these when she’s sitting in the cafeteria and her ex-friends are sitting at a table in her direct line of vision and they’re _loudly_ and _deliberately_ calling her all sorts of names as she tries to concentrate on her food.

(She feels like under any other circumstances she would have stood up for herself—she wouldn’t have let their comments slide but some part of her feels like she _deserves_ this because what she did was mean and callous and—well, _bitchy_.)

She doesn’t notice the hold on her fork is tightening until the metal utensil cracks in her hand.

She blinks, looking down at the fragments of her fork that was still gripped in her hand.

“Crap,” she muttered, dropping the metal hastily covering the remnants of her utensil under a napkin.

“Hey Princesa,” a familiar voice said, drawing Kim’s attention away from her ex-friends and her broken fork and to the person who plopped down across from her at the table.

She feels her chest warm and a familiar swoop of butterflies in her stomach at the smile being sent her way from the girl across from her.

Just like finding the pink coin that was currently residing in her jacket pocket, Kim felt like meeting Trini was a gift—and something she was, sometimes, unworthy of.

How else could Kim explain the shame that burned within her chest every once in awhile when she remembers that Trini—beautiful, magnificent Trini—had been in the same Biology class as Kim for an entire _year_ and Kim had never noticed her.

She hadn’t even known Trini’s name.

(Not until that fateful night—with the coins and the superheroes and new friends and a bigger sense of purpose than just trying to _survive_ in this goddamn town.)

Kimberly sometimes felt the guilt burn as much as the warmth she felt whenever she was in the vicinity of the other girl.

Kimberly couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment she started liking Trini as more than a friend—more than a best friend, as she had proclaimed just a couple of weeks ago after Trini had bought her breakfast as a thank you for waking up early and joining the shorter girl for her morning tai chi session.

(Kimberly was still learning—she had jumped at the chance to learn from Trini and while she wasn’t _too_ bad, she would certainly be better if she didn’t keep getting distracted by Trini when the other girl hit a certain pose.)

And then she remembered that she could have known Trini for at least a year but it had taken Billy Cranston blowing up a mountain for Kimberly to talk to Trini for the first time.

It was sort of a vicious, self-shaming cycle Kimberly had found herself in.

(Jason said it wasn’t healthy—and ok, he was right, but Kimberly knew that maybe the first step in accepting that she was possibly good enough for Trini on a _romantic_ level was finally telling the other girl the circumstances that led to her being on that mountain and finding that pink coin.)

But Kimberly wasn’t sure if she could take the disappointment she knew she would find on Trini’s face when the other girl finally learned what Kim had done.

When Trini learns what kind of person Kim really is.

( _Was_ , a voice in her mind that suspiciously sounded like Jason said.)

She had been so caught up in the social hierarchy _bullshit_ she had bought into when she started high school—perfect grades (ok, that one was actually important), being a cheerleader, dating a jock, being part of the popular crowd—that she hadn’t realized she became the kind of person who would betray her best friend.

And when she did, she finally realized—she hated who she had become.

But truly, Kimberly felt like she couldn’t shed that image all the way until she was completely honest.

Starting with the girl sitting across from her who was handing her a new fork, an eyebrow raised and a smirk on her face.

Kimberly had to stop herself from swooning _in the cafeteria_ at the sight of that smirk.

(It also didn’t help that Trini was wearing Kimberly’s pink— _pink_ —and black flannel shirt and _damn_ she looked good.)

“Princesa?” Trini prompted.

Kimberly shook her head, clearing her throat. She had been staring entirely too long at the other girl. She smiled when she registered the nickname Trini had recently taken to calling her.

(She most certainly did _not_ preen a little every time Trini called her that—no, she _didn’t_ —shut up Jason.)

“Hey T,” Kim greeted, leaning forward to brush her fingers against one of Trini’s hands that were resting on the table.

Trini took a bite of her sandwich, reaching forward and picking up the napkin next to Kim’s lunch. She quirked her eyebrow at the pieces of broken fork on the table.

Kim looked down sheepishly, running her fingers through her hair—a habit she had developed ever since she had cut her long locks. She was still getting used to the shortness of her hair—though she had to admit, getting ready in the morning was certainly easier.

“I got distracted and then…” she trailed off.

“Distracted by…?” Trini questioned.

Kim’s eyes flickered briefly the table across the cafeteria, where her old friends were still making obscene gestures and clearly talking about her. Trini scoffed, muttering something under her breath in Spanish. 

And then Kim heard, more than saw, Trini’s soda can that was on her lunch tray just a second ago whizzing in the air.

In the blink of an eye (because _duh_ , super powers) the soda can landed smack in the middle of the cheerleader’s table, bursting open and spraying everyone sitting at the table with the sticky drink.

The shrieks that pierced the air had everyone in the cafeteria turning to look, laughing when they saw the cheerleaders squealing and shielding their faces from the spraying soda.

Kim looked at Trini, who had taken another bite of her sandwich, matching Kim’s stare with her own. She felt Trini’s foot nudge her leg under the table, and that did it—Kim started laughing.

Her own laughter mixed with Trini’s as the other girl finally broke as well, the two of them egging each other on.

“What’s so funny?”

The two girls turned to see Jason and Billy standing next to the table, confused looks on their faces. The four of them turned as the cafeteria door slammed open, Amanda and a few of the other cheerleaders who had gotten the worst of the soda storming out.

Kim and Trini made eye contact, and the laughter started again as soon as the cafeteria doors slammed shut, signaling the cheerleader’s departure.

Jason just shrugged at Billy, before the two sat down, joining the girls. Zack came bounding up to the table not a minute later, plopping in the seat next to Trini. As the boys discussed a video game marathon they were planning at Billy’s house, Kim nudged Trini’s foot with her own.

“Thanks,” Kim whispered, and she couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face at Trini’s nonchalant shrug.

“I got your back,” Trini answered simply.

Kim felt those butterflies again, and it was then that she decided—it was time to be honest. 

“Will you come by my house later tonight?” Kim asked the other girl. “I have something I want to tell you.”

Trini nodded, seemingly sensing that Kim didn’t want to elaborate while they were sitting in the school cafeteria.

“Sure Princesa,” Trini said. “Keep your window open?”

Kim nodded, before returning to her lunch, a small smile on her face when she felt Trini’s foot bump into her own under the table and stay there.

Kim wanted to know everything about Trini. She knew that Trini didn’t exactly share personal tidbits often—over the past few weeks, she had come to treasure the nuggets of information Trini let slip while they were walking driving home after school or studying in the library or sitting at their favorite coffee shop.

Kim also knew if she ever wanted something more than friendship with the other girl she was going to have to open up as well, and it started with telling Trini about her past—the good _and_ the bad. 

Especially the bad.

She just hoped it didn’t change the way Trini saw her.


	3. Chapter 3

Kimberly was good at flirting.

She knew this about herself.

All the time she spent at the top of the social ladder meant hours upon hours of learning how to act like someone who had everything together—and flirting was just one of those actions that contributed to the overall façade.

So yeah, Kimberly knew how to flirt.

She would watch in amusement as simple words or actions could make a blush appear on somebody’s face, or make them stutter their words, or become flustered.

And as soon as she accepted she was no longer a part of the “in crowd”—well, Kimberly stopped flirting with people just to keep up appearances of someone who was always cool and confident.

This is not to say that she wasn’t _actually_ these things.

Yes, she’s currently going through a slight identity crisis—and it’s not just the whole becoming a superhero thing, but it’s also finding that she can be the person she decided she wants to be.

Someone who is kind.

Warm.

Good.

Genuine.

Most of all, Kimberly wants to be genuine—she wants to be authentic.

Unapologetically and completely herself.

She thinks she might be on the way to that, as she spends more time listening to Billy talking about his latest invention, or helping Jason with his math homework, or racing Zack up the mountain when he just needed to take a breather from all of his worries.

Most of all, she feels like she’s becoming someone she is proud of—someone her parents could be proud of too, because she’s always been close with them and lately their had been a disconnect and she _knows_ that’s mostly on her—when she’s spending time with Trini.

When she makes Trini—who holds her emotions so close to herself—laugh so hard there are tears in her eyes.

When she gets Trini to smile—not just the small upturn of one side of her lips smile—but a full-blown smile, one that stretches across her whole face.

When Trini is the one who seeks Kimberly out when she’s having a rough day, and Kimberly can _feel_ how important that act alone is—that Trini trusts her enough to come to her for comfort.

But also—in the lighter moments she shares with Trini.

So while Kimberly might have stopped flirting with people just to keep up appearances—well, that just means the people she _wants_ to flirt with are getting that much more of her flirting energy focused on them.

(See: not _people_ , just person—as in singular.)

And Trini is Kim’s absolute _favorite_ to flirt with.

Because when Trini gets that blush on her face and the usually calm and collected tough girl Kimberly has come to know suddenly gets flustered—it makes Kim feel special, knowing she has that effect on the other girl.

So when she had texted Trini, asking the other girl if she wanted to come to her house for dinner—she had bribed Trini with the lasagna she knew her mom was making that night—instead of climbing through Kimberly’s window later that night, she couldn’t help but tell Trini to “hurry her cute butt over here” and add a winking emoji (because never underestimate the power of a winky emoji, ok?!).

And it really wasn’t her fault that when she opened the door, and Trini was standing there still wearing _Kim’s_ pink and black flannel with the sleeves rolled halfway up her forearms (and _goddamn_ when the hell did Kim start finding _forearms_ so attractive), she just had to say something flirty.

She took a step closer, catching Trini off guard as the other girl took half a step back.

“You know, my shirt really does look good on you,” Kimberly said, somewhat offhandedly.

“Oh…thanks?” Trini said, though it came out more as a question.

“It would look even better on my bedroom floor, though.”

And there it was—she was treated to Trini’s flustered face, mouth slightly agape and looking like she wanted to say something but she wasn’t quite sure what.

“Kimmy, is that Trini?” her mother’s voice sounded out from around the corner.

Her mom appeared in the doorway, smiling broadly at the sight of Trini.

Kim’s parents had met Trini and the rest of the Rangers a few weeks ago, when the team decided they deserved a night off from training. They had all come to Kim’s house for a movie night, and her parents were actually really happy to meet Kim’s new friends.

(Kim thought that maybe her parents could tell that these friends—this new family Kimberly had been given through fate or destiny or whatever the hell those coins they found saw in them—were more authentic and genuine than her old friends.)

Kimberly could completely be herself around the rest of the team, and despite her inner turmoil that popped up—but she was working on it, she swears, starting with tell Trini her truth tonight—she could admit that she was happier than she had been in a long time.

(She thought maybe her parents could tell that too.)

Her parents had taken a liking to the team immediately, but for some reason, Trini especially. Kim wasn’t sure, but it might have been the way Kim acted around the other girl—content and relaxed and happy.

Ever since that night, her parents made it a point to ask how her friends were doing—Trini especially.

“Hello Trini!” her mom greeted, smiling at the girl still standing on their front porch.

Kimberly grinned, turning back towards the shorter girl who still seemed to be gathering her bearings after Kim’s last comment, and was now trying to recover to properly speak to Kim’s mother.

Trini cleared her throat, before giving an awkward wave. “Hi, Mrs. Hart,” she said.

Kim’s mom gave an amused smile, gesturing Trini into the house. “Remember, I told you Trini—you can call me Maddy.”

“Uhh—right, yes Mrs.—Maddy,” Trini finished awkwardly.

Kim covered her mouth to hide the laughter.

Trini heard it anyways, judging by the slight scowl on her face.

“I hope you’re hungry,” Maddy said, leading the way to the dining room. “You’re just in time for dinner. And I bought more of that pink lemonade you liked from last time!”

“Trini _does_ love pink lemonade,” Kim chimed in, smirking at the girl in question.

Trini just scowled back at the taller girl.

Kim thought it was adorable.

“Hello Trini,” Kim’s dad greeted from where he was standing in the kitchen, grabbing plates. “How’s it going?”

“Good, Mr. Hart—I mean, Ted,” Trini answered hastily when she saw the pointed stare Maddy gave her.

Ted smiled, bringing the utensils to the table.

Kim rolled her eyes fondly, before reaching out and gently grabbing Trini’s hand, leading her to the table. Kim made sure to take the seat right next to Trini.

And if she scooted her chair a little closer than necessary to the other girl—well, that was her business.

(Though the knowing looks hers parents exchanged made her think they knew exactly what she was doing.)

Dinner was an easy affair—the tension that had hung in the air for weeks after Kimberly’s horrible decision had finally dissipated, replaced instead with actual conversations.

Kimberly thought that maybe her parents had realized how large of a disconnect there was after the incident as well, and now their dinner conversations where filled with actual substance—they were getting to know their daughter, the real girl who for so long had hidden behind the superficial words and behavior.

And Kimberly was enjoying reconnecting with her parents after everything.

(She thought maybe the girl sitting next to her had something to do with that.)

Trini had made Kimberly realize that she should cherish the relationship with her parents—they actually, truly listened to her. 

They wanted to get to know her—to talk with her, not at her.

And while it had taken a horrible decision from her to jumpstart their newfound relationship, she was glad for the place her and her parents where at.

(She felt sad, that Trini’s family dinners were not like this—it wasn’t filled with laughter, or gentle teasing, or easy conversation.)

Kimberly also enjoyed watching Trini come out of her shell a little bit. The team had slowly been breaking down her walls—Kimberly knew that while Trini still had her guard up most of the time, she felt so special to be one of the few to see glimpses behind the façade.

To see the real Trini.

And it seems her parents were doing a good job of making Trini feel at home, something Kimberly was exceptionally proud of.

Which is why she couldn’t stop smiling as her dad and Trini had an animated conversation about the new Fast and Furious movie while her and her mom looked on fondly.

She laughed as her mom pretended to swoon as Trini stood up to clear the dishes from the table, stating that “she would clean because Maddy had cooked and it was only fair”. 

“Kimmy, you hold on to this girl,” her mom said as Trini was walking over to the kitchen, hands full of plates.

“I will, mummy,” Kimberly said quietly, standing up to collect the rest of the dishes and bringing them to the kitchen.

* *

Trini sat on Kimberly’s bed, leaning against the headboard as the other girl scrolled through her phone, picking a song.

The soft melody of some song Trini didn’t know filled the room, before Kimberly sat on the bed next to Trini. She sat cross-legged, facing Trini as she reached out and tapped a beat out on Trini’s leg.

It was silent, save for the music that provided some background noise.

“I have to tell you something,” Kimberly finally said, breaking the silent.

Trini met Kimberly’s gaze, furrowing her brows as she took in her friend’s demeanor.

Kimberly was fiddling with her hands, drumming against her leg. Her brown eyes were wide and imploring—as if Kimberly was trying to tell Trini something with just her eyes. Her mouth was pulled in a slight frown, and Trini could tell Kimberly was about to tell her something important.

“Kimberly,” she said softly.

Trini wasn’t exactly one for physical contact—except, it seems, when it came to one Kimberly Hart.

(Or when Jason gave her a piggy back ride to the cafeteria because she helped him with his homework or Billy held his hand out for a high five which she cherished because he _never_ initiated contact or when Zack slung his arm over her shoulders when they were walking and joking which just somehow made her feel _safe_ ok, and she just really had a soft spot for those boys who were becoming her family.)

She reached out, gently resting her hand on Kimberly’s still fidgeting fingers.

Kimberly paused her movements, meeting Trini’s gaze again before flipping her hand over so her palm was facing up, their hands resting together now. Trini smiled—she hoped it was encouraging—and let out a breath as Kim threaded their fingers together.

These small, intimate moments were also something Trini was getting used to.

She had never been this close to someone else—never met someone she actually _wanted_ to get to know. Someone she wanted to get to know her.

There was just something about Kimberly—the other girl was so full of life, taking on headfirst whatever life threw at her. 

(A perfect example was when Kimberly jumped off a cliff to god knows where with a girl she had just met the night before. Well, more like _dragged_ a girl she just met off a cliff—but Trini still claims that was not her fault because she was only human and when a pretty girl asks for some water you give her some, ok?)

“I…” Kim began, pausing to let out a sigh. “I want to tell you why I was in detention. And I’m scared it will change the way you look at me.”

Trini nodded her head slowly, giving their connected hands a squeeze. She knew that it must have been something Kimberly was not proud of since the night of the bonfire they had on the mountain—something about the tone of Kimberly’s voice, like she was ashamed of what she had done, had caught Trini’s attention. She couldn’t imagine Kim doing anything so bad that it would change her feelings for the other girl.

“Whatever it is…it’s ok,” Trini replied carefully, not wanting to prod. “You know that I’ve got your back.”

She was horrified to see tears starting to well up in Kimberly’s eyes.

Kimberly shook her head, taking a ragged breath.

“It’s not ok,” Kimberly said, voice stilted. “It’s—I did a horrible thing. I’m a bad person.”

Trini was silent, knowing Kimberly was struggling to tell her. She wasn’t great at comforting other people, but somehow she knew all Kim needed was to feel her presence.

She brought her other hand to cover their connected ones, imploring Kimberly to look up and meet her eyes.

“Kimberly, you can tell me anything,” Trini said.

And she completely meant it. Maybe that was what prompted her to bring their joined hands up to her lips and place a soft, lingering kiss on the back of Kim’s hand.

Kimberly closed her eyes, taking another deep breath.

“I—do you know my old best friend, Amanda?” Kimberly asked.

Trini thought about the group of cheerleaders from the cafeteria, the ones Kimberly used to hang out with as she tried to remember which one was Amanda. Her eyes widened when she remembered why she could pick Amanda out from the group.

“Isn’t Amanda that girl whose picture got leaked and passed around school?” Trini asked, scrunching her eyebrows together as she vaguely recalled students around her in class talking about it. “The one where she—”

“Yes,” Kimberly cut in.

“What does—”

“I leaked the picture.”

Trini remained silent, prompting Kim to continue to speak.

“She…sent me that picture in confidence,” Kimberly continued. “And I sent it to Ty with the caption ‘Does this look like a girl you want to introduce to your parents’ and he sent it to his friends and it snowballed from there and I—I’m a really, really horrible person and sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve you or the guys or the coin because maybe we’re all screw-ups in some way but I’m _actually_ a shitty person.”

Kim squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to cry.

A sob escaped from her chest when she felt Trini let go of her hand.

And then a pair of smooth hands were on either side of her face, thumbs wiping away the tears that had managed to fall on her cheeks.

Kimberly opened her eyes to Trini staring back at her, dark brown eyes impossibly soft and caring despite what Kimberly had just confessed.

Trini’s voice was quiet, but nonetheless resolute as she started to speak.

“Kimberly Hart, you are _not_ a shitty person,” Trini said firmly. “You did a shitty thing, but that does not make you a shitty person.”

Kimberly took a shuddering breath, shaking her head as she reached up and held onto Trini’s hands that were still cupping her cheeks.

“You’re not a horrible person,” Trini continued. “A horrible person is someone who doesn’t learn from their mistakes. Someone who doesn’t take responsibility for their actions—makes excuses and doesn’t care. And Kimberly, if there is one thing I know for certain about you—you _care_. You are caring, and you want to help, and the coin chose you because you are kind and smart and _good_.”

Kimberly closed her eyes, feeling overwhelmed at the care she could practically feel from the girl sitting next to her.

“I did a really bad thing,” Kimberly whispered, opening her eyes and meeting Trini’s gaze once more.

“That does not negate all the good you have done—all the good you _will_ do,” Trini replied. “You made a bad decision, but you know that it’s bad and you’re trying to atone. And Kimberly,” she said, turning one of her hands so she was holding Kimberly’s, “you saved the world three weeks ago, which includes this dumb town. I think you’re well on the path to redemption, if you haven’t already surpassed it. Don’t dwell on the past. You’re not that person anymore.”

Kimberly was silent, but the small smile on her face told Trini that she understood what she had said.

It was a shitty thing to do, but she was not a shitty person.

Kimberly was not inherently mean.

She did something bad, but she’s trying to make up for it.

Making a decision, Trini guided Kim to lay on the bed with her, holding the other girl in her arms. Kimberly sighed, resting her head on Trini’s chest, arm across her stomach and intertwining their legs.

“I didn’t want you to look at me differently when you found out,” Kimberly finally said.

Trini smiled, turning to rest her lips against Kimberly’s forehead—not quite a kiss, but close enough to provide what she hoped was comfort to the other girl.

“Kimberly…eres _increíble_ ,” Trini said softly. “Thank you for trusting me enough to share this with me, Princesa.”

“Thank you for being here,” Kimberly replied.

“Siempre,” Trini promised, tightening her hold on the other girl.

And as the two of them lay there, Kimberly intertwining their fingers again as they moved on to lighter topics, Trini knew that she really meant it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Umm...this chapter got a lot deeper than I intended I swear I set out to write a lighthearted story when I first started. I hope you all are still with me! Come say hi at onebigroughdraft.tumblr.com


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